Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral
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Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, located at 38th and Chestnut Streets in
West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...
, is the
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
church of the
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania. The Diocese has 36,641 ...
. Formerly known as the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Saviour, it was built in 1855, renovated in 1898, and rebuilt in the year 1906, after an April 16, 1902 fire. In 1992 it became the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.


Recent history

A highly-controversial renovation of the interior was undertaken, 2000–2002, under then-cathedral dean Richard Giles, author of ''Re-Pitching the Tent: Re-Ordering the Church Building for Worship and Mission''. The pews, altar, and other church furniture were removed and sold. Chairs and modern lighting fixtures replaced the traditional fixtures. The stone walls were stuccoed over and whitewashed. The baptismal font was joined by an immersion pool for adults. These actions divided the congregation and were severely criticized in the press. In 2012, facing a $3.5 million bill to renovate its bell tower, current cathedral dean Judith Sullivan petitioned the Philadelphia Historical Commission for permission to demolish its parish house and rectory, both NRHP-certified buildings. They would be replaced with a 25-story apartment building wedged between the cathedral and Chestnut Street. The demolition was approved.Stephan Salisbury
"Episcopal Cathedral gets OK to raze historic buildings, erect apartment high-rise,"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', June 10, 2012.


See also

*
List of the Episcopal cathedrals of the United States The following is a list of the Episcopal Church cathedrals in the United States and its territories. The dioceses are grouped into nine provinces, the first eight of which, for the most part, correspond to regions of the United States. Province ...
*
List of cathedrals in the United States This is a list of cathedrals in the United States, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in episcopal Christian groups, such as Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy and the Armenian Apostolic Church) and a few prominent church ...


References


External links


Cathedral website
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Churches completed in 1855 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania Churches in Philadelphia Tourist attractions in Philadelphia University City, Philadelphia Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Episcopal cathedrals in Pennsylvania Cathedrals in Philadelphia {{Pennsylvania-church-stub